90 per cent Compatibility
by Fightershe324
Summary: In one of his visits to Peridot in the barn, Steven finds something he shouldn't have seen. What Peridot don't know is that her carelessness and Steven insistence to tell him all about what he just discovered, really will help her to admit and confront her feelings towards a certain gem. Although she doesn't know if that certain gem feels the same for her.
1. Help

"So!" Steven said, stars in his eyes.

"Do you like Amethyst?".

"Shh! Someone will hear you! Let's go to another place and maybe I will give an answer to your question, just maybe". Peridot replied in a quiet voice, almost whispering, with strong green shadows on her cheeks.

"All right, let's go over there!". Steven took Peridot's hand and led her running after him, stopping ocasionally when she tripped over a incidental stone. Until they reached a place a little away from the barn, under a big old tree.

"Well, Peri, you can tell me now." Steven said, still shaken by the brisk walk.

Peridot raised her left hand motioning 'stop', while her right hand was still on her knee, trying to catch her breath.

"Ahhh." She sighed after a while.

"Well, no".

"No what?". Asked confused the practically-now-adolescent.

"I do not plan to answer your earlier question.".

"But, Peridot, why not? You said if we came to a place away from the barn you would tell me." He answered, an expression of combined sadness-deception could be seen in his face.

"I said 'maybe'. I never claimed I would. Besides, what does that have of relevant? I was already forgetting it, I never should have created that table and you never should have seen it. I'm sorry Steven".

"But, Peridot ...". He looked at her directly into her eyes.

"That's what friends are for, to tell each other things, their problems, to help them! And I think you need help to accept your real feelings about Amethyst. I can help you, I'm your friend." With this last sentence a smile formed on his face. Which undoubtedly convinced Peridot.

"Aaahh, well, I, um, I think, you have ...the reason. Maybe I do need some help ...". She said blushing as she turned her gaze down, right, left, anywhere that was not the eyes of his friend in front of her. Then she continued, "I, I'll tell you Steven, from the beginning".

"Thank you Peridot! I knew you would trust me -again stars in his eyes- I promise I'll help you in any way I can."

"All right, well, it all started a month ago, I was in the barn, on my couch, watching Camp Pining Hearts, it was the last episode of the sixth season and I was too excited to even realize that someone had entered the barn and was climbing the stairs to where I was. "

.

"What's up Dotti?". Amethyst asked in his usual relaxed tone as it only could be seen her head, climbing to the second floor.

"Aaaahhh! Ah, Amethyst, you scared me, um, hello -Quickly she take the control of the tape recorder, previously positioned to her side to take and use quick in such an unexpectedly situation, and pause the tape- I'm watching the last episode of the sixth season of Camp Pining Hearts and preparing me for my usual analysis of the episode; recorded and written, also annexing compatibility charts between campers and other subjects, adapting it to the changes that occurred in the episode. You, um, do you want to join me? ".


	2. Subtext

"Holy smokes Peri, that sounds very nerdy, but yeah haha, I think I'll join you. I was in my room sleeping when I went out and there was no one, just a note from Pearl saying she went out shopping, Garnet went alone to a mission and Steven was staying with Greg to sleep, so I thought it would be a good idea to come to visit ya, it's been a while since the last time we saw each other."

"Oh, yeah, that sounds reasonable. In fact, I've been lonely lately too, Lazuli came out a few days ago, she didn't tell me where she was going, she just told me that it would her take a while to return, and it has been three days since that happened".

"Oh, and that happens very often? You must feel very alone here all day and all night. You know, when something like this happen again you can come to the temple to find me, I'm almost always in my room. We can go to eat pizza, or to Funland, or I don't know, we can just watch Camp Pining Hearts ... -She suddenly stoped to talk, then three seconds later, a big smile forms on her face and her eyes open wide, a big expression of enthusiasm - Ooohhh, I know! I can show the Li'l Butler, it's a greeeeat show, it have it all, you'll love it. Whatcha say, P-Dot? ".

Still trying to process everything that Amethyst had just said, it took her a while to answer, her cheeks flushing a little.

"Ohh, yes, Amethyst, l will-l will consider that, thank you" - she said still blushing, turning her head down because she didn't want the purple gem to find out the color she had managed to form on her friend's face "So, um, do you want to sit? Just let me remove all these papers and markers from here."

"Yep, I help you."

Having put aside the writing instruments, Amethyst sat beside the new Crystal Gem. Not so close enough, but it wasn't anything away from her neither, which caused Peridot to blush even more and felt something strange, but "cute" as Steven would say.

She had felt something like this before, that time she went to the temple to find Pearl because she needed some help with a new machine she was building, and Amethyst volunteered to go in her place, as the gem with sky blue eyes had went to shopping. Peridot had insisted that it was not necessary, that she would return later to find Pearl. But Amethyst insisted more and more, at the end she agreed and they returned to the barn together.

They spent the afternoon playing and joking about any kind of thing that went through their minds, while Peridot continued her work and Amethyst helped her passing her leverage optimizers and other tools, which she tried to name but getting stuck with the difficulty of their pronunciation, made Peridot laugh. Yes, that was a good day. And that same day Peridot was feeling that "cute" inside her, in her stomach, in her head, in every part of his being. But she tried to ignore it, after all, she only felt it again when she remembered that day, she reasoned, only when she remembered, nothing to worry about.

"Earth to Periland, HELLOOOO".

"Ah!, I, uuhh ...". Peridot finally answered as she took a train out of Toughtland, location: her own mind. She answered, when she finally managed to overhear Amethyst calling her, after a few minutes that Peridot was not responding, in fact, she wasn't doing nothing more than look at the screen of the television, which was still paused.

"Are you all right? You were a while like that, just staring fixedly at the television, it seemed like you had gone to another planet, or another galaxy."

"Emm, yes, it's all right, I'm sorry, I just, don't know, I think I need to go for more markers, you know, for a more comprehensive and accurate analysis." She replied a bit nervous.

"Haha, okay, I should have imagined it would be something nerd that was going through your head, I'll wait here."

With that, Peridot almost ran down the stairs and got to the container where a while ago she had found these "modifiers appearance" that she destroyed when she was discovered by Garnet adhering them to her body.

From there, she took some markers and closing the container, she remained standing there, her hands on it and her head down, seeing nothing. Thoughts flooding again. Come on, you can't let these strange feelings take over you, Amethyst is only a person. She's only your teammate like Steven, Garnet and Pearl. Just one more person. She's just your friend. You don't have to feel like this again. She will think you're crazy if you keep staying immersed in your thoughts about what you feel when you're around her. You have to forget that. You have to forget and act normally in front of her. You have to…

"Hey Per! Are you all right down there? Do ya need help with anything? You've been there for a while."

"Ehhh, yes, I mean, no, don't worry, it's all right, I'm coming."

She went upstairs and sat besides Amethyst again, having left the markers on the floor.

"Well, I think considering the episode it's almost finished, it would be a good idea to rewind it to the beginning so you will be able to understand better what is happening and that therefore our analysis will be much more complete and concrete. What do you think?".

Our analysis? Amethyst thought a little confused.

"Well, I'm going to rewind the tape." Peridot said before Amethyst could answer.

With that done, it could began to be hear the intro of the show, Peridot singing from the bottom of her lungs and some giggles coming from Amethyst to be listening her sing like this for the first time, so excited and happy at the same time. I didn't know she could be more adorable than she already is. She thought while she keep watching her.

After the intro ended and the episode began, there was not much dialogue between Amethyst and Peridot, more than three or four ocassions in which Amethyst asked some things, like "Which team did you say she was?" " Why did he say that to Percy? " or "So who won the challenge? ".

After forty minutes the episode ended and began to see the end credits. Without saying a word Peridot stood, walked to the recorder and pulled the tape. She returned to her place on the couch, sat and keep staring at the television (again). Amethyst was starting to feel confused.

"Emm, Peri...".

After a few seconds, Peridot finally responded. "Well. That was... interesting." Still staring straight ahead.

"Intere...sting?".

"Yes, it was. And in fact I think it's time to start preparing our analysis".

With that said she stood up and began to take markers and sheets from the floor, she settled them down somewhat near the television, and sat on the floor.

"Will you join me?". She asked to an still confused Amethyst.

"Ehh, of course but do you really think I should? I haven't seen so many episodes as you to make an analysis...".

"Affirmative. But did you see this episode right? Our analysis will be from the episode we saw today, I'm sure you can help."

"Ohh well, then let's analyze!".

Watching Amethyst's simultaneous enthusiasm made a small smile form on the face of the green gem, and made her feel "that" within her again. No, not now, you will elaborate the analysis, you can't start with this. Forget it. Now. Concentrate.

"Emm fine, then... Let's start with the compatibility chart." She took a sheet and began to write on the top "CPH. COMPATIBILITY ANALYSIS. EPISODE 13 SEASON 6."

"So... What we have to do is see who get along better and put them together?".

"NO. I mean, no, it's much more than that, it's, you know, we have to look carefully at all, the subtext, I mean, take care of every detail of the way they spoke, why they did it, how they did it".

"Fineeeee...". Amethyst replied asking more than affirming.

"Okay. So, let's start wiiiith ... Pierre and Percy".

"Oh dude, this now got serious".

"I appreciate you can see this with seriousness. So you saw at the beginning of the episode Paulette was talking to Percy about the aquatic competition, where the yellow team won? As always, she was trying to idolize him to made him notice her. BUT did you see how Pierre looked beside them? It seemed like he was looking at Pierre, something, angry? That was the way I felt him, then...".

And so she continued like that for fifteen minutes, Amethyst just nodded to what she was saying, paying attention, trying to really understand all this "subtext" stuff this little nerd was talking. But suddenly, she stopped listening to what Peridot was saying. Her brain could only focus on one thing now. Peridot's face. Her expressions, the energetic way in which she talked about her most "compatibly adept" characters. How cute she looked when something really passionate her and she moved her hands to emphasize her points. The way she wrote something in the sheets as she turned with Amethyst while she continued explaining. All. Amethyst didn't know if that was good.

She had always felt "something else" for Peridot. She realized that when she was unreasonably excited to hear her "mocking" about Garnet, Pearl and Steven, and noticed how much she could make her laugh and her sense of humor was similar. Then when she saved her from the drill. Her green eyes above her own blues, that look she had never contemplated before but wanted to see every day of her life. The way she couldn't speak when se was so close to her.

Since that day, everything had changed. And Amethyst knew it. She knew she felt something else for her. Even before Peridot became part of her team and defended Earth insulting the person she most admired and adored in this and all the galaxies. (Have you ever seen anything braver before? Of course she completely won the new nickname of Peri-dactyl.)

Every day after that day she saved her. That day that she made her feel so excited. Every day after that she has been feeling something else for Peridot. And every day that "something else" grows even more. How is that even possible? Of course she hadn't had so much time to think or try to do something about it with a giant monster beneath them ready to get out at any time and finish with all. But that was over. She could no longer continue like that. Just being there feeling that, doing nothing about it. She had to do something, but what? how?. I can't do it alone. All this going through her mind as she kept watching Peridot talk and talk. Admiring her.

Suddenly, without realizing it, she began to get closer to her. Their faces closer and closer. More and more. Peridot could not help but notice it and get extremely red. Their noses began to approach. Then touching. They could feel Peridot's breath on Amethyst's and Amethyst's breath on Peridot's. Their lips were close, every time even more...

"Peridot? Hey I'm back, I got you a new recorder tape. Are you up he…?". It could be seen and heard a certain blue gem without notice. She went to where she thought she would find Peridot watching TV as usual, but she couldn't even finish the question when she met with a scene a little... uncomfortable for her.

Peridot and Amethyst were so busy in their "analysis" that they didn't even realize Lapis had entered the barn.

But there she was in front of them. Both sitting on the floor, facing each other, their faces and consequently their lips a few centimeters from each other, completely red.

"Aaahhh! La, La, La, Lazuli, you, you came back!".


End file.
